Flower Crafting

Many people have turned to recycling to save money and at the same time create decorative flowers for their home and garden. Flower crafting has risen in popularity over the last couple of years.

Artists use items such as plastic bottles, coffee filters, ketchup containers, muffin cups, and pens. Items that in and of themselves are not thought of as beautiful can be transformed into objects of art and beauty in the hands of skilled crafters.

COFFEE FILTER FLOWERS AND PAGES FROM A DISCARDED BOOK

One such artist who makes flowers out of an old cookbook (cut up into fringes) with ketchup cups and muffin cups as the centers is Aunt Peaches at AuntPeaches.com.

Instructions

Tear out pages from the book and cut with scissors into strips--don't cut entirely through the pages
The part that you don't cut into strips will get wrapped around the muffin cup (the brown section.) Poke a hole in the muffin cup and put the ketchup cup through the middle of the hole.

Plastic Bottle Flowers

Another flower craft from Aunt Peaches' blogspot is the Shirley Temple flower arrangement (because it is all pink and frothy looking).

1. Take 4 pre-dyed filters. Leave ends white to add texture if desired or color to the ends.
2. Fold in quarters
3. Cut edges.
4. After you cut all the flowers (6-10 flowers per centerpiece), separate and scatter randomly. This will ensure each layer of petals looks different and will add an overall richness to the final piece.
5. Choose 4 filters. If some of your filters are darker, put one on top (it should eventually end up on the inside).
6. Fold in quarters.
7. Twist the end slightly to form a stub.
8. Insert a steel pix (that's what they are called, it a single stell pix a steel pick. Hmmm. Ponder...
9. Insert the twisted stub in the gripper jaws of the crimper and squeeze together.http://www.auntpeaches.com/2010/08/friday-flowers-lunch-lady-flowers.html

FLOWER PENS

Cut Out and Keep website offers a tutorial for making flower pens. Very cool. Check these out at cutoutandkeep.net/projects/inky_garden

COFFEE FILTER BUTTERFLYS

Supplies

　　　 　　　 ½ black chenille stem
　　　 　　　 Paper coffee filter
　　　 　　　 Water color paints
　　　 　　　 Paint brush
　　　 　　　 Water

1.　Flatten the coffee filter and place it on a plate or newspaper, the paint and water will soak through. Set aside on paper towels to dry.
2.　Fold the chenille stem in half. Remember, you are only using half of a chenille stem to begin with.
3.　Fold the coffee filter accordion style, in about ½" pleats.
4.　Position the pleated coffee filter into the bent end of the chenille stem. Center the filter at the bend.
5. Twist the chenille stem around the filter to secure it in place.
6.　Bend the tips of the chenille stems over about ¼" to create the antennae.
7.　Fan out the butterfly wings.
8.　If desired, hang with yarn or fishing line.

For a more vibrant butterfly, be sure to paint all white areas with paint. Tie a piece of fishing line around the "neck" and suspend from the ceiling. They will look like they are flying!　

Instead of using all the colors on one filter, make some with warm colors (red, yellow, orange) and some with cool colors (blue, green, purple).